Vertigo (Blood Ties) PG

[mhalachai]

I just watched the latest episode of Blood Ties, 5:55, and I was like, I finally have a hook! Girly wangsty introspection ahead.

Vertigo
A Blood Ties story
by mhalachaiswords

Summary: At three in the morning is the only time Vicki can let herself think about how far down the rabbit hole she's fallen... (Episode tag to 5:55)
Characters/Pairing: Sort of Vicki/Mike and sort of Vicki/Henry and all kinds of woe.
Disclaimer: None of these characters or shows belong to me. The Blood Ties series started with Tanya Huff and slipped sideways into Lifetime. Read and watch, yo.
Rating: PG for angst, blood imagery, swearing
Setting/Spoilers: The night after 5:55, episode three in season two or fifteen in season one, take your pick. Spoilers for that episode, no doubt.
Words: 480, give or take



It was 3:21 in the morning and Vicki couldn't stop thinking about blood.

If Henry hadn't stopped... Vicki closed her eyes, twisted her head away as if it could possibly stop the nauseating vertigo, but memory wouldn't release her.

She had trusted Henry to stop. She'd let him press her up against the cold blue wall of the elevator and sink his teeth through her skin, into her vein, taking blood and stripping away her control.

She never gave away control. Not to her family, not to her lovers, not even to Mike. That she'd done it for Henry scared her more than anything else he could have done.

He could have killed her if he wanted and she wouldn't have been able to stop it, wouldn’t have been able to stop him from taking the life from her veins.

Mike had died at a minute to midnight and she hadn't been able to stop it; hadn't been able to hold in his blood against the bullet wound.

Stubborn tears pushed at her eyes and Vicki took off her glasses; resisted the urge to throw them at the wall. Her apartment was so dark that the glasses didn't make any difference anyhow. Everything was spinning and she couldn't see more than half a foot in front of her face, and if that wasn't the most fucking ironic commentary on her life...

Even thinking about how Mike wasn't dead any more made Vicki want to vomit, to scream, to hurt something. She'd gotten so cocky, living the same day over and over with Henry at her side that she forgot that she wasn't immortal, that Mike wasn't immortal. When she finally found a way to save the world, she'd thrown everything away to bring Mike back.

Somewhere along the line, she had decided that a world without Mike Celluci wasn't worth living in, and she had no fucking clue how that happened.

Henry didn't know what she had done, why she had asked him to release the evil of Pandora's box on the world. He had only listened, then he'd taken her blood, made her a little more his.

Vicki wondered if Henry knew for what she would end the world, and that it wasn't him.

Mike was safe and alive, Henry had tasted her blood, and all she could feel was the gritty, slippery wetness of Mike's blood on her hands.

Ever since her eyes began to fail, everything was out of control. The messed-up relationship with Mike, the inevitable crash-and-burn with Henry, the demons and magics and everything in the universe out to get her, and there wasn't one damned thing Vicki could do to stop any of it.

Everything was out of control.

It was 3:49 in the morning and Vicki could still feel Henry's teeth on her throat and Mike's blood on her hands and she wondered if she was ever going to stop falling.

end

Comments

[autumnus]

OMG... now that is Blood Ties fanfic in true Mhalachai style.

I am all for Vicky/Henry pairing and loved the casual way the whole biting scene was handled but...

darn, you nailed Vicky down with the warts and all.

More?

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! This was one of those things that I just *had* to write when the idea came to me.

And I'm personally of the opinion that Vicki/Henry and Vicki/Mike aren't necessarily conflicting things... then I get that from the books, which are just so much fun.

Hopefully more as more eps come out. I've found a way into fandom and we all know how that works with me -- IO never get out :)

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

I know just enough of this fandom to go "oooh", and "yes!", and "...need show now, dammit".

Somewhere along the line, she had decided that a world without Mike Celluci wasn't worth living in, and she had no fucking clue how that happened.

&hearts

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Hee :D

I'm glad you liked it. I have to admit, I've read the books and so I have a certain slant on the way things turn out. I have always liked the book version of Mike/Vicki/Henry. Mrow.

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

The books (or rather, book - I know, bad reader!) are all I know, so I'm right behind your bookly slants. Double mrow!

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Dude, read the rest of the books! Vicki in all the books is such an amazing character.

Plus it doesn't hurt that Christina Cox does such an amazing job as Vicki :D

You have an email coming your way, btw.

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

Gracias! And I will read the rest, I promise! I just got distracted :).

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Hey, things are shiny :) The fact that I keep getting distracted by the "internet" is a point in case. Work? What work?

[ravenboo.livejournal.com]

Wow !!!. Very nicely done :D

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thank you :) This is my first foray into the Blood Ties 'verse and I will say, it's a fun place to be :D

[ravenboo.livejournal.com]

Your welcome. It is fun, isn't it?? :D Happy Halloween :D

[windmiran.livejournal.com]

Eeeeeeeeeee!!
I love this. I love her spiral and the repetition even now she's out of her time loop, and good goddamn, but I love 5:55 with a joy that cannot be adequately expressed.
I hope hope hope you get more writeable ideas for Blood Ties.
And how funny is it that it's on Lifetime?

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I do really enjoy writing "downward spirals" like that. And while I usually loathe the Groundhog Day eps, this one was really good because it wasn't the object de jour causing it, but Vicki herself. And that she just accepted it and didn't bother to explain half the time. And all the other things I loved about this ep :D

Lifetime. Hee. I hadn't thought of that.

[wiliqueen.livejournal.com]

This is just gorgeous and dizzy and perfect. Thanks for sharing!

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for your kind words :) I enjoyed writing this one... it was certainly an interesting episode to start from!

[dotty8608.livejournal.com]

That was fabulous! I admit that I don't know too much about the fandom, having only read the first book and half of the second of the series, but the way you write it makes me want to give it another try. (I just couldn't get through the second book for some reason, but I might give it another try after I finish the book I'm reading right now...) Anywho, on your recommendation, I bought the first of the Shadow books too. Just one more book to add to the ever-expanding library. Wow, ramble much? Sorry. Anyway, just wanted to say that this was wonderful and I love it and I love you and Happy Halloween.

P.S. When does Blood Ties come on TV? I totally missed that they had even made a TV show of it! Do they have DVDs out yet?

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thank you :) The books are lovely, with some excellent story-telling and wry humour. I love them so (both Blood and Smoke). Let me know what you think of the Tony books!

Blood Ties is on TV Friday nights on Lifetime (if you're in the States *checks your location* Yup). It's been on for about a year -- they split the first season into two mini-seasons, so this is the "start" of year two/second half of year one. The next ep, this Friday, looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. All the acting is wonderful.

Yes, I'm gushing like a good little fangirl. The whole concept is just delicious.

[dotty8608.livejournal.com]

Hey, gushing is good! I actually found the episodes (up 'til the latest one) on Lifetime's website, so I've been engrossed all afternoon. I've only gotten through the first three, but the show has definitely got me hooked! After watching the first two, it made me want to go back and try reading the Blood books I have again... *ponders* Maybe this weekend.So thanks for the rec, again. Yet another fandom to add to the "I'm totally hooked" list.

[chegs74.livejournal.com]

What a great insightful story. You portrait a perfect Vicky!!! I love those missing scenes from episode and yours is one of the best I've read :)!!!

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much :) After 5:55, there was so much left undone and Vicki had been through so much that it was easy to write this.

And now that I have figured out a way into the show, I might just have to go back to re-watch them all to see what else I can do :D

[chegs74.livejournal.com]

I sure hope you will do that!! I want more of this :)!!!! Please :)!

[force-oblique.livejournal.com]

That was really good! I was wondering about her feelings in that episode!!!
She rarely showed such feeling for Mike but I am glad she did.

[rosy-the-cat.livejournal.com]

I actually only recently started watching Blood Ties via iTunes, but I just get this feeling of...rightness in your characterization. Go team you!

-- Rosy

P.S.: I had a recent revelation regarding Rodney McKay of SGA: http://rosy-the-cat.livejournal.com/14329.html

[sabriel-0405.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link. I've been meaning to read this since last night. (Really, the first thing I thought of was I can read mhal's post 5:55 fic. I loved the scene in the elevator. I thought it was brilliantly done. I came in at episode 12 or so, which means I behind in the, as you put it, sideways-verse. But oh, between the episode and your fic, I'm good.

[oportunemoments.livejournal.com]

Lets see.. I reluctantly read this, unsure of reading in a 'verse I've never visited before, but too desparate for mhal-writing, as you will.
Then went and watched all of the 16 episodes of Blood Ties that I could find online.
Then read this again.

It was better the second time and I think I love you ^_^

[aislingde.livejournal.com]

WOW!

I love this little pice. It is absolut fantastic.

So much Vicki.

5:55 is one of my favorites. And with this story it is not complete but much more how it should end.

Thank you.

[sherron0.livejournal.com]

I know I'm late in reading your BT fiction, but I'm glad i finally stumbled onto it. This was an absolutely GREAT piece. What's missing from the TV shows are the thoughts and struggles inside the characters. You very nicely filled in some gaps for this ep. Keep on writing BT!

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked it! I really enjoy/ed BT, mostly because Christina Cox is amazing as Vicki.

All of my BT fic can be found with this tag:
http://mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com/tag/blood+ties+fic

[sherron0.livejournal.com]

Okay, I know now I'm just getting stalkery, but I don't think I gushed enough the first time I commented on this story. It really is a PERFECT added scene. so to quote oportunemoments :

It was better the second time and I think I love you ^_^

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

You're not stalking :) I do enjoy this one. The first Blood Ties fic I wrote, and it's still lovely. It's the show that really sold me on the series :)